Project Pabst was so kind as to include Philly in last year’s expansive move to become a four-city festival installment — along with Denver, Portland, and Atlanta — and they’re back at it again this summer on September 16th at the Electric Factory. The lineup for this Philly edition was just announced, and it features a big, hearty heaping of good tunes.

The ten-artist lineup is speckled with both local favorites and out-of-town talents, with Philly punks, The Menzingers, headlining the show, along with Peaches, Big Thief, Speedy Ortiz, Nothing, The Coathangers, Madame Gandhi, Lionize, and Thin Lips. And if you only counted nine, you’re correct, because there is also a “very, very special guest” yet to be announced. Ooh, intrigue.

Tickets for the 21+ show go on sale this Thursday at 10 pm. Find more info on the festival’s website, and listen to some of the featured artists below.

]]>Happiness Is Just A Moment: The Menzingers, in top form, share a night with The Fillmorehttp://thekey.xpn.org/2017/04/01/the-menzingers-the-fillmore/
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The Menzingers | photo by John Vettese for WXPN

“Did anybody here go to Temple?” Greg Barnett asked a packed house at The Fillmore last night, and befittingly, a large portion of the Philly crowd screamed. Barnett smirked, and continued “I’m sorry about that.”

In lesser hands, it could have been a diss, some jockish taunting to stoke whatever higher educational rivalries were seemingly in need of being stoked. But that’s not what the co-frontman of The Menzingers was doing here, as he introduced “Midwestern States” — a song he said was about his last semester at college — and the crowd knew it. They laughed loud at his quip, they cheered en masse.

They knew that these four dudes, despite being the center of attention for 2,500 spectators over the course of 90 minutes last night, was no different from them. Adrift in their late 20s and early 30s, feeling overlooked and tossed aside from self-absorbed older generations who won’t step out of the way, unsure of what they wasted their youth on, unsure of what their place was in this world that’s messier and less compassionate by the day.

This is one of the core themes of After the Party, The Menzingers’ excellent fifth LP — their most mature work, and their work most explicitly about maturing — and that restless discontent is the backbone of “Midwestern States.” As Barnett howled for the Fillmore:

Been having problems with our landlord
He said he’s taking us both to court
She got her hours slashed
And my unemployment’s drying up fast
We both got worthless diplomas from worthless universities
Two bachelors in worthless studies
But at least it made our parents happy
And cost a whole lot of money

The Menzingers | photo by John Vettese for WXPN

It’s an experience that most people go through to a degree; feelings that most people have felt. And The Menzingers turn those feelings and experiences into empowering anthems; galvanizing guitar riffs, racing beats, hooks that are short, memorable and repeated heavily, offering ample opportunity for cathartic screamalongs.

Barnett’s co-frontman, Tom May, serves as hype man on the songs where he doesn’t take lead, racing to the barricade, mouthing the words along with the fans, creating a shared experience. It’s one thing to pull off that give and take in a tiny club — like Kung Fu Necktie, where they launched the After the Party tour — but doing it in a room of several thousand, and still coming across sincere, is something else.

The Menzingers | photo by John Vettese for WXPN

In short, The Menzingers are at the top of their game right now; not only do their songs ring truer than ever in the spring of 2017, but there are a lot of them in the back catalog at this point: beyond hearing most of After the Party, the show had high points in “The Obituaries,” “Thick As Thieves,” “Good Things,” “Mexican Guitars” and more Most movingly, during “Gates,” the disco ball was illuminated, casting a resplendent glow across the room as Barnett reminded us that “Happiness is just a moment.” The world may be falling apart and we don’t know where we’re headed in it, it seemed to say, but at least we have one other.

There was a lot to like about this show, absolutely. But something that could have been better, taking the long view of the night, was the fact that — between opening sets from West Virginia’s Rozwell Kid and Brooklyn’s Jeff Rosenstock — the night was heavy in homogeny before the Menzos hit the stage.

Jeff Rosenstock | photo by John Vettese for WXPN

Taken individually, both of those acts are enjoyable; Rozwell does a riff heavy / lick heavy take on power pop, something between Cheap Trick and the Get Up Kids, and their rock and roll swagger, windmill strums and high kicks are a lot of fun to watch, if a bit one-note. Rosenstock has a more dynamic sonic palette, employing keyboards and saxophone alongside layers of guitar for songs that build from ballads to bruisers. He’s a comical and endearing stage presence too, bouncing between his bandmates, riffing and grinning, jumping into the crowd to play sax while being held aloft by fans. It’s like the Mr. Fun Guy shtick of Mac DeMarco, but with significantly better songs to back it up.

But. Between Rozwell, and Rosenstock, and The Menzos, this was a show with SO. MANY. DUDES. I may be wrong, but the only woman onstage the entire night was when Cayetana’s Augusta Koch came out for a minute during The Menzingers’ encore to sing along to the final refrain of “In Remission.”

This point was further hammered home to me this morning when I opened up Facebook and read an interview with Slingshot Dakota’s Carly Commando on the Track 7 website about how the scene — the general DIY punk community is what she’s referencing, of course, but it’s applicable across the board — could do a lot better when it comes to inclusivity. That’s an area where last night’s lineup definitely fell short, and it only took one look at the very mixed group of dudes and ladies alike lining the front row of the audience (one wearing a Slingshot t-shirt) to know that the argument that “well the crowd is mostly guys, so…” doesn’t work here.

NEPA faves The Menzingers bring their latest LP After the Party to The Fillmore tonight. The big-room date follows a sold-out release show that happened last month at the smaller Kung Fu Necktie, a special treat for some of the band’s die-hard fans but one that left the majority of their local supporters with a serious case of FOMO. Tickets for tonight’s all-ages show can be found here. Watch “After the Party” below.

We got to know Oakland’s Jay Som a little better yesterday when singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/producer Melina Duterte spoke with The Key about her new and impressive Everybody Works LP. Read that interview here, and check out “The Bus Song” below. Jay Som co-headlines Boot & Saddle with The Courtneys tonight – tickets and information can be found here.

Longtime Philadelphia psych rockers Bardo Pond make a triumphant return to Johnny Brenda’s tonight in support of the new Under the Pines LP. It’s the local outfit’s eleventh studio record and adds another study of nuanced, explosive compositions to the Psychedelphia leaders’ catalog. Stream “Crossover” below and pick up tickets for the 21+ release show here.

Pop-punks The Menzingers already showed us what happens during the party in the video for “Bad Catholics.” Now, we’re getting the aftermath. Earlier today, the band shared a new visual for After The Party’s title track, which dropped this past February via Epitaph Records. If you’re one half of a sexy, young couple, and both of you work in the same craft brewery, you’ll find a lot to relate to here. Stream the video for “After The Party” in all its glory below.

This video has a ton of making out in it — let me make that clear. The starring couple makes out in bed. They make out in cars. They make out on a dive bar pool table and countless other places. They even make out on the subway, but after they’re done, they head to The Menzingers’ show as any sound-minded rock fan would. It’s not all necking and rocking, though. They yell at each other for a little bit too, but then, they go back to making out. It may sound like I’m exaggerating at least a little bit, but I assure you, I am not.

As predicted, Philly’s favorite punks The Menzingers sold out Kung Fu Necktie in mere minutes yesterday for their album release day party. But they still gave fans a taste of that new album, After The Party, with the release of new track, “Thick as Thieves.” Opening with blunt guitar power chords, the song is carried along by an easygoing melody, then jumps to a headbang-inducing, infectious chorus that will undoubtedly be streaming through your head all day. Along with the new song, the band — noted craft brew enthusiasts that they are — announced the creation of an After The Party beer through a collab with Neshaminy Creek.

From the band:

“we’re very excited to announce we’re collaborating with our friends at Neshaminy Creek once again. This time it will be an Irish-style Dry Stout brewed with English maris otter malt and conditioned on Reanimator coffee. 4% ABV and it is absolutely crushable.”

The After The Party beer will be available on tap on February 3rd at their intimate album release Kung Fu Necktie set, while cases of the brew can be purchased starting February 6th. If you aren’t able to catch The Menzingers for the album release show, don’t fret, you have another chance to see them later this spring, when they headline The Fillmore on March 31st. More details can be found at the XPN Concert Calendar. Listen to the new jam, “Thick as Thieves,” off of After the Party below.